Quinsigamond Community College policeman held in attack on co-worker

Thursday

Jan 31, 2013 at 1:00 PMJan 31, 2013 at 8:59 PM

By Scott J. Croteau TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF

A Quinsigamond Community College campus police sergeant was held without bail Thursday in Central District Court after being charged with attacking and pepper spraying a female co-worker on campus early Thursday morning.

Mark A. Brooks, 44, of 11 Church St., was held after Assistant District Attorney Marc W. Dupuis asked for a Feb. 4 dangerousness hearing. The hearing will determine if Sgt. Brooks is a danger to others and society, and a judge will decide if he should continue to be held without bail.

Worcester and state police were called to the college, located on West Boylston St., about 3:20 Thursday morning, according to state police reports. Troopers arrived to find Sgt. Brooks, a member of the college's campus police department since 1987, in the custody of Worcester police.

A 32-year-old female campus police officer was being treated inside an ambulance.

She told police that Sgt. Brooks went off on her and pepper sprayed her in the face, the reports said. The officer, identified in court and state police reports as Officer Andrea Prinsen, told investigators her sergeant threw her against a wall, onto a sidewalk, tried to strangle her, and prevented her from calling for help with her cell phone or two-way radio.

She gave investigators an account of the alleged attack, which is contained in the report: Officer Prinsen told state police that Sgt. Brooks refused to help her conduct a license plate check on a car found in the campus parking lot. As she was in the campus police department's office writing a field interview report about an abandoned or suspicious vehicle Sgt. Brooks allegedly told her the report was not necessary.

“At that time Brooks took exception to that and a verbal altercation ensued,” Mr. Dupuis said in court.

She broke free and tried to use another phone, but Sgt. Brooks allegedly grabbed her again and tried to strangle her. The officer said Sgt. Brooks threw her into a door.Officer Prinsen made it outside, but Sgt. Brooks allegedly followed and threw her onto a sidewalk.

“She stated that he then pepper sprayed her and took her police radio and her cell phone,” state police reports said. “Before Mark sprayed me he pushed me down on the sidewalk. Mark kept stating that if he lost his job I would lose my job too,” the officer told investigators.

Sgt. Brooks allegedly said, “This is not going to end well for you,” Mr. Dupuis said. The pepper spray was issued by the college.

Sgt. Brooks eventually gave back the cell phone and the officer's keys. He took her inside and went to get water for her eyes. At that time the officer hid in an elevator and called 911.

Officer Prinsen told investigators that she believed Sgt. Brooks had a gun. Campus police are not issued firearms.

State police troopers and Worcester police saw Sgt. Brooks' truck in the parking lot. It was unlocked. They reportedly found a black .9mm handgun and two other guns in the truck. All three guns were unsecured. Ammunition was allegedly found in the truck as well.

The officer said the two had a good working relationship and were never involved romantically. She said Sgt. Brooks had never assaulted her in the past.

Sgt. Brooks, a married father of three, has been suspended from his job with pay and is prohibited from returning to campus during the investigation, according to Josh Martin, director of institutional communications at Quinsigamond Community College. Mr. Martin said that because the incident is under investigation, he could not say any more about it, except that the college considers safety a priority.

Sgt. Brooks was arrested and charged with assault to murder, two counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, assault and battery on a police officer, two counts of intimidation of a witness, carrying a dangerous weapon on school ground and three counts of improper storage of a firearm. He was booked at the Holden barracks. A double-edged knife was allegedly found on a chain around Sgt. Brooks' neck.

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